Rosalina Collazo, center, of Woonsocket, applauds the speakers at yesterday’s news conference to denounce Governor Carcieri’s executive order on illegal immigration. On the left are Melba DePena, of Providence, and Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a leader in the Hispanic community.

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The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy

PROVIDENCE — Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and a host of community advocacy groups yesterday demanded Governor Carcieri rescind what Roberts called “a very shortsighted” executive order targeting illegal immigrants in Rhode Island.

More than 250 people crowded the Algonquin House community room for a news conference sponsored by Immigrants United, We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island, the Hispanic Ministerial Association and the Univocal Legislative Minority Coalition. At several points, people chanted “All Human Beings are Legal,” and “!Un Pueblo Unido Jamás esta Vencido¡” (A United People will Never Be Defeated).

The groups delivered a letter to Carcieri yesterday that calls his executive order “the biggest attack on the rights of immigrants in Rhode Island in at least a generation.” They demanded a recall of his order, and asked for “an immediate meeting with our leaders.”

Carcieri issued his executive order Thursday, saying he did so in the absence of federal immigration reform. In part, the order gives state police and correctional officers the power to enforce federal immigration laws. It also requires use of a federal “E-Verify” system to electronically verify that all state employees are legal citizens, and well as employees of vendors who do business with the state.

“I very much accept we are a state that is facing some serious issues,” said Roberts. “We have a major budget problem. We have an economy in recession. We need to find solutions to those problems, but the governor’s executive order is not a solution.” The lieutenant governor added, “The politics of polarization will not lead us in the right direction. We need a federal solution to this problem.”

The Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, of the ministers’ association and the We Can Stop the Hate group, said he had not heard back from the governor’s office regarding yesterday’s letter asking Carcieri to rescind his order. The governor’s chief spokespersons were unavailable yesterday.

“The order will bring about more unwarranted harassment of legal immigrants and citizens of color, and its enforcement will decrease our level of safety and increase costs, not savings, in Rhode Island,” the letter stated. It contains 50 signatures from heads of Latino organizations, the Ghana Association of Rhode Island, the American Friends Service Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as Brown University students, English teachers, and others.

Many speakers, including state Sen. Juan Pichardo, D-Providence, called on Carcieri to enter “constructive dialogue” on the issue.

Miguel Sanchez-Hartwein, executive director of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy and member of We Can Stop The Hate Rhode Island, said though Carcieri “makes it sound like illegal immigration here is out of control,” illegal immigrants account for between “1.9 and 3.7 percent” of Rhode Island’s immigrant population. U.S. Homeland Security and the Pew Hispanic Center estimate Rhode Island’s illegal immigrant population at between 20,000 and 40,000 people, he said.

The governor’s executive order dominated news events yesterday, and prompted a flurry of competing news releases.

Carcieri was a guest on both the John DePetro and Buddy Cianci radio shows on WPRO.

During both programs, Carcieri defended his order against accusations that it will create racial profiling and instill fear in the entire immigrant community, not just among illegal immigrants. Carcieri said the order “is not racist.” He said it will provide “structures and procedures” for enforcing laws on the books. He also lashed out at the press — as he did last Thursday — for “inflaming” the debate.

Meanwhile, John Robitaille — the governor’s new director of communications — sent an alert to the Rhode Island Republican Assembly about Carcieri’s talk-show appearances, and encouraged assembly members “to call in to support him on his newly issued Executive Order on illegal immigration.” RIRA president Ray McKay forwarded Robitaille’s letter to members on Sunday in advance of the programs.

“We have to be aggressive on this one,” Robitaille wrote, “and push back forcefully to reiterate what was said by the Governor and comment on how important it is to have an objective debate on the issue. People must be warned not [to] believe the mischaracterizations that are being fraudulently and recklessly voiced by the Governor’s political enemies. They will be the ones [on Monday] who will fuel the fires, play the race card and raise the rhetoric.”

Carcieri issued a statement several hours after yesterday’s news conference, reiterating his belief “that elected officials have an obligation to enforce and support all federal, state and local laws — including those barring illegal immigration.” Until Congress reforms American immigration laws, he said, “I have no choice but to uphold the law as it currently exists.”

The governor repeated that as “a grandson of immigrants” and former businessman, he supports allowing more legal immigrants and guests workers to enter the country. He said legal immigration “made America what it is today … and drives our nation’s economy.”

Next came a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, reflecting Bishop Thomas Tobin’s views:

“Contrary to what some have said, Governor Carcieri is not mean-spirited or uncaring — certainly that was not his intention in issuing the executive order. Bishop Tobin recognizes the Governor’s constitutional duty to enforce existing law. However, it is very unfortunate that this policy targets a vulnerable community whose members are also children of God, our brothers and sisters in the human family.”

Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, was among the half-dozen speakers at yesterday’s news conference.

Brown said the executive order “will encourage and exacerbate racial profiling in the state. It will burden many small business and organizations, and business of all colors” who try to do business with the state. “It will create bureaucratic difficulties for many citizens and legal immigrants in this state and will cost the state unknown amounts of money.”

Brown said the federal E-Verification system is unreliable because its database “is tremendously flawed.” And, he said the state “is responsible for all the expenses” for participating in the so-called “287 G agreement” that will give some state police and state correctional officers power to enforce immigration law.

He added, “I can’t speak to the governor’s intentions in issuing this executive order, but I certainly can speak to its effects, and the effect will undoubtedly be to increase the element of xenophobia as presently exists in Rhode Island. I am certainly hoping the General Assembly will take strong action to counter the governor’s measures, so we can in fact be a state of hope.”

kziner@projo.com